I know firsthand how overwhelming it can be to keep our homes in order.
Toys scattered on the living room floor, dishes piled up in the sink, and the never-ending cycle of laundry can leave us feeling like we’re drowning in chaos. Too much stuff in our living spaces means too much stuff on our to do list.
Our homes, the places where we find refuge and build memories with our families, can quickly become chaotic and have us feeling overwhelmed if we ignore home organization.
Today, I will share with you four simple yet effective ways to tackle home overwhelm and restore peace and order.
1. The Power of Decluttering: You Don’t Need More Storage Space
Clutter seems to accumulate overnight, doesn’t it? So, let’s combat it head-on with a decluttering mission. Start small, tackling one area at a time. It could be a drawer in the kitchen, your stack of canned goods, or one corner in the living room.
Starting with the easier tasks is far more productive and helps you stay organized while you’re…organizing.
‘The idea of completing small projects with boundaries is that you’re setting yourself up for a win, which will motivate you to keep working on smaller chunks until eventually your entire space is organized!’ says Lucy Milligan Wahl, owner of boutique organizing company, LMW Edits.
After you choose your area (and maybe grab a label maker), sort items into three categories: keep, donate, and toss.
I highly recommend actual containers for these categories. I usually opt for two boxes and a garbage bag, because the floor stacking method has never worked for my organizing process.
Be honest with yourself about what truly serves a purpose in your life, and let go of the rest. Remember, a clutter-free home fosters a clutter-free mind.
Knowing your priorities will help greatly in decision-making. If you go into the process thinking of every item as equally valuable, it will feel overwhelming fast. Maybe it even makes sense for you to write out a list of what you ACTUALLY use regularly in each room–the daily essentials.
For me, I had to declutter all the fantasy selves I had collected things for and figure out who I was and who I wanted to be.
When we dial back and understand what is essential in our life, it’s like a night and day difference in how easy it is to take care of our home.
And trust me, you’ll feel a sense of relief as you make way for a clutter-free environment.
2. Create Daily Cleaning Routines & an Organizing System
Every single one of us juggles numerous responsibilities, leaving little time for extensive cleaning marathons. This means it is easy to let cleaning tasks pile up until they become unmanageable.
That is why implementing daily cleaning routines can make a world of difference in home organizing.
So, set aside a few minutes each morning and evening for quick cleanups. Involve the kids in age-appropriate tasks. You may ask your eldest child to do the dishes or the youngest to sweep the floor, making it a family effort. You can find the charts I created here; this can also help divide the tasks for everyone.
This way, you are teaching your children to be responsible while inculcating the value of managing the home properly. Even young children are capable of (and usually excited to) cleaning a small space, organizing a linen closet, or sorting their own craft supplies. Let them step up to the challenge and see how it goes!
Don’t be afraid to delegate tasks to other family members. Share the responsibilities and teach your kids valuable life skills in the decluttering process.
Even if they don’t accomplish it to the standard you’d prefer, they need growth opportunities to improve their life skills.
It’s a built in time to share life experiences with them while you do the chores after dinner or chat with them about how their day went.
Building connections with all the family members is one key step to avoid feeling overwhelmed on your way to an organized space.
By staying on top of daily cleaning, you’ll prevent messes from snowballing and create a more organized environment.
Small actions matter. Take it one space at a time.
Consistency is the key, and with time, you’ll notice a cleaner and more organized home.
3. Establish Designated Homes for Everything
Ever find yourself frantically searching for your keys or your child’s favorite toy?
Trying to remember where you put your wallet last night, or why is your favorite book missing from your desk?
Far too much of our lives have been spent LOOKING for random items!
So what can you do?
Assign a designated place for each item to truly organize your home.
Examples:
- Place a key bowl or hooks near the entrance.
- Organize your kitchen based on your working style.
- Designate toy bins for different types of toys.
- Organize your pantry by category.
- Shoes go in the storage bench by the door.
- Extra toilet paper, cotton swabs, and shampoo bottles live under the sink.
- Always put the small appliances back in the kitchen cabinets when you’re finished using them.
Having designated space for everything not only keeps your home tidy but also saves you time and sanity when searching for items. Only the items that belong there are placed there. If the shoes go in the hall closet, we don’t want to see them in the family room.
This may seem tedious at first, but believe me, this will definitely help you stay organized in the future.
4. Shift your focus
It’s easy to feel like the victim – it may be that our parents were hoarders and we have a skewed view of our stuff, or that we grew up very poor and never had enough, so now we’re collecting stuff so we never feel that way again.
Or maybe emotional neglect taught us to form attachments with things instead of people. Or maybe we have a physical condition that makes it difficult to do the daily household tasks, or we’re taking care of parents and raising 5 kids so have no time to spare.
It may not even be our fault – perhaps our spouse has issues and refuses to let us declutter, or everyone we lives with doesn’t take responsibility for any of the stuff or any of the mess.
These are all valid things, hard things to deal with.
But focusing on how we’ve been wronged doesn’t help us.
I used to get so caught up in what my husband and kids weren’t doing, that I couldn’t see anything else.
My whole day was spent in a pity party:Things would be completely different if I was single and didn’t have children.
Though that is true, it doesn’t change the current situation.
I had to shift from being angry about the state of things and blaming others, to taking care of the home for myself.
I needed to wash the dishes for me. It made me feel better to see the dishes were done. It made me feel better to not have a couch full of laundry. It made me feel better to have a counter that was clean and clear.
I’m not saying the people in your home aren’t responsible for the same things, but what I’m saying is that we can only change ourselves.
If we want a clean home, we might have to do it for ourselves.
It’s important to talk to them, and if you have children, it’s important to teach them to take responsibility and clean up after themselves, but we’re the ones that are going to have to take the first step and lead by example.
Shift from “I have to” to “I get to”
I hated all housework – dishes, laundry, dusting, sweeping – I would do it begrudgingly and mutter, “I HATE DOING DISHES.”
Just FYI, focusing on how much you hate something never brings you joy.
You know all those people who enjoy cleaning their house?
They don’t think about how they hate it – they think about how they enjoy it.
Shifting our mindset isn’t always easy – I don’t LOVE doing laundry these days.
But choosing to do it and thinking about how much I enjoy having a tidy home helps me not to hate all the tasks.
If you aren’t a person who shifts their mindset easily, help yourself along! Here are some ideas:
- Crank the music and dance while you clean
- Play hide-and-seek with the kids, doing a cleaning sprint while you’re counting
- Pretend you’re in one of those mesmerizing power washing videos while you dust the shelves–sometimes doing a thorough job at something makes it more engaging
- Shoot hoops with your storage containers while you sort
- Make a game of how many items you can store to free up counter space
- Drop organizing tips or organization ideas on your IG story during the process
Give yourself some recognition
Once you’ve achieved something, give yourself a pat on the back and note that buzz of satisfaction. Celebrating small wins will keep you motivated.
Remember that achieving an organized home is an ongoing journey, not an instant fix. Be patient with yourself, celebrate small victories, and learn from any setbacks. You’ll gradually find your home becoming a more peaceful and harmonious space for you and your family.
Let’s remind ourselves that creating a perfectly tidy home is not the ultimate goal. Instead, our aim is to build a nurturing and harmonious environment where our families can thrive. Progress might be slow, and there will be days when the mess seems never-ending, but we are strong and capable.
You can do this.
Ready to get started?
Check out this post to know exactly where to start and what to focus on.
